The city government of Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, said Thursday it is imposing a series of safety measures related to electric kick scooters in light of a recent accident that left one dead and another injured. According to the city, it will cooperate with the local police to clamp down on actions such as riding e-scooters without proper license, without safety helmets or with a passenger on the vehicle that is intended for one person. The new city regulations will also ban riding e-scooters ins

Social Affairs July 18, 2024

Two police officers managed to talk a teen out of jumping to his death from an apartment building, officials said Wednesday. According to Seoul Seocho Police Station, the officers were dispatched to an apartment complex in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul after receiving a report at around 8:30 p.m. on Monday that a 16-year-old boy was about to jump from the rooftop of an apartment building. He had climbed over the railing on the roof of the 24-story building and was found crouching on a ledge, appea

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

The government-affiliated horse racing authority recently deleted a YouTube video depicting its horses as anime-style woman, after complaints that the content was sexually-suggestive. Rep. Yi Byeong-jin of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea confirmed Tuesday that the Korea Racing Authority has deleted the video introducing its racehorses. The video featuring horses illustrated as anime-style women wearing skimpy outfits, is thought to be inspired by a mobile game that also depicted

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

A man in his 40s has confessed to a 2008 robbery and murder case in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, local police said Wednesday. The suspect told investigators that he had been the one who stabbed a supermarket owner on Dec. 9, 2008 in Siheung, 26 kilometers southwest of Seoul. "I stabbed him. I'm sorry," was what he said, according to Siheung Police Station. The suspect has not elaborated on his motive for the crime. Authorities have been questioning the suspect since apprehending

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

One of the alleged perpetrators in the notorious 2004 Miryang gang rape case recently posted a video apologizing to the victim, continuing controversy surrounding the 20-year-old case. Forty-four male high school students were accused of subjecting a middle school girl to months of sexual and physical assault. "I want to say I am so sorry to the victim, who would have been living in unimaginable pain since 2004. ... I know no apology would absolve me, but I sincerely would like to apologi

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

The South Korean police said Tuesday a man in his 50s is under investigation on suspicion of starting a fire at an apartment complex, leading to its evacuation and the injuries of eight residents. According to the Gyeongju Police Station, the suspect was allegedly arguing with his wife at home on the third floor of their 13-story apartment building in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province at 6:45 p.m. on Monday. In the heat of the argument, he set a blanket on fire, which spread to the entire ho

Social Affairs July 16, 2024

The three YouTubers accused of exploiting popular YouTuber Tzuyang issued an apology regarding the incident, as the victim plans to file criminal charges against them and the video-sharing platform disabled monetization for their channels. Gu Je Yeok, Caracula and Jeon Gukjin all issued some forms of apology Monday, while still denying that they had blackmailed Tzuyang. It was revealed last week in a recording of their discussion that the three were potentially involved in a blackmail of Tzuya

Social Affairs July 16, 2024

The state-run tax agency said it seized 28.6 billion won ($20.6 million) in unpaid taxes from local hagwon last year, over four times the amount collected the previous year. The additional taxes were collected after a series of nationwide tax evasion crackdowns on hagwon by the National Tax Service, according to NTS data submitted to Rep. Lim Gwang-hyeon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Last year, the figure hit 6.6 billion won, compared to 5.1 billion won in 2021 and 18.9 bil

Social Affairs July 16, 2024

A Busan court on Tuesday held a hearing for a teacher at a private academy who was accused of sexually harassing a 5-year-old girl in May, with the defendant saying he had been drunk at the time. The defendant, identified only as a US citizen in his 30s, told the Busan District Court that he drank seven bottles of soju before making the unwanted physical contact on the child during a class at a hagwon in Dongnae-gu, Busan, on May 22. His lawyer told the court that his client was admitting the

Social Affairs July 16, 2024

A stroke of luck saved a woman who had collapsed in a Seoul Metro station during busy rush hour, when a firefighter and paramedic happened to be nearby and came to her rescue, local media outlets reported Tuesday. The woman in her 20s collapsed at 8:02 a.m. inside Wangsimni Station in Seoul on Monday, according to local media outlet Edaily. Officials at the station had found and laid her on the floor, while she was showing signs of hyperventilation, when a man and a woman approached them. The

People July 16, 2024

The South Korean prosecutors said Monday it indicted a man in his 50s for causing a fatal traffic accident last month, despite the man consuming more alcohol after the accident to hide his drunk driving. Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office said it indicted the suspect on charges of drunk driving and violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents. The suspect is believed to have driven his Porsche vehicle into a compact car at around 12:45 a.m. on June 2

Social Affairs July 15, 2024

Data provided by the National Health Insurance Service showed again Monday that foreign national subscribers pay more in contributions than they get back in benefits, debunking the belief that they are "freeloading" off the state-run health insurance program and demonstrating they actually subsidize the system. In 2023, foreign national subscribers overall paid 2.04 trillion won ($1.47 billion) in insurance fees to the NHIS, substantially more than the 1.27 trillion won they received

Social Affairs July 15, 2024

A Tunisian national recently won a court order to have the South Korean immigration authorities deliberate on granting her refugee status, the Incheon District Court said Monday. The court recently ruled in favor of the plaintiff in an administrative lawsuit she filed last year against the Korea Immigration Service, saying its decision to deny her from being screened for refugee status in December was unlawful. She had requested refugee status on the grounds that she would be subject to severe a

Social Affairs July 15, 2024

A total of 63 people won the jackpot in last week's South Korean Lotto, the highest-ever number of winners in its history, according to Lotto’s operators Donghaeng Lottery. But the large number of winners means they will each receive the second-lowest jackpot winnings ever. The 63 winners will each take home 419.9 million won ($300,000), which is the second-lowest amount on record behind 400.09 million won in 2013. The previous record number of winners was 50 in the 1,019th Lott

Social Affairs July 15, 2024

Operators of the House of Sharing, the residential building for surviving victims of Japan's sexual slavery before and during World War II, are mulling turning it into a museum dedicated to the women euphemistically called "comfort women." According to local media outlets Friday, all previous occupants of the house have left due to their deteriorating health from old age. Three women, 97-year-old Lee Ok-seon -- not to be confused with confused with another victim of the same nam

People July 13, 2024